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Dr. S.S. Joshi a great and
dedicated scholar
Dr.
Swaraj Singh
The untimely demise of Dr. S.S. Joshi is one of the most unfortunate
and shocking jolts. Punjab and the whole country has lost one of the
most dedicated and great scholars. It is a great loss for me because
I had the honor of knowing him for more than thirty years. Dr. Joshi
was humble, very balanced, and the most well read and informed
scholar I ever came across.
I had the opportunity
to meet and work with several Punjabi scholars. Two scholars
impressed me the most, one was Dr. Prem Parkash Singh and the other
was Dr. S.S. Joshi. I feel these scholars reached the level of the
great Pandini. I have personally learnt a lot from these scholars;
particularly from Dr. Joshi, who lived close to us in Patiala.
 Dr. Joshi was a great
resource of knowledge and was a living encyclopedia for me. I used
to call him or just go to his house if I had a question. He was
always polite and pleasant. Ever though linguistics was his
specialty, but his knowledge knew no bounds; history and philosophy
were equally his favorite subjects.
Dr. Joshi belonged to
a Hindu Brahman family but his love and respect for the Sikh Gurus
was so deep and profound that I have rarely seen it even among the
most dedicated Sikhs. He used to say that the Sikh Gurus have made
the greatest contribution to this country and mankind, and for that
we have to be always grateful.
Dr. Joshi had great
opportunities in England but he loved Punjab so much that he came
back and wanted to live the rest of his life in Punjab. He has made
tremendous contributions to the Punjabi language, Punjabi culture,
and Punjabi people. He told me that he never regretted leaving
England and always that he belonged to Punjab. I am sure that Punjab
will always remember him as one of its favorite sons.
Even though he is not
physically with us, yet he will always continue to inspire us with
his dedication and commitment for the Punjabi language and Punjabi
people. He has truly become a symbol of Punjabiat. We will always
remember his great contributions. Punjabi University Patiala should
really be proud of Dr. Joshi’s remarkable achievements.
30 January 2008
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